Pocket knives: Who uses an automatic as an EDC?

[Vibrolux]

One of the perks to living in Florida is being able to carry a switchblade wherever I go. So, I carry a Benchmade 9050 like this one:

 

[Camtwo69]

Sweet !

 

[alan camby]

Not to go off topic buuuut, thought that the no owning or carrying of switch blades was a federal law. Unless you are military, police, FBI or ect.

i Carry Spyderco's exclusively. Most of the time a Caly 3, 3.5, or Para 2.

 

[Johnny chaos]

I live in NY and carry a Boker AK74 automatic.........Hopefully I don't ever get caught Benchmade are just too expensive for something I consider a consumable (I lose stuff) I also buy cheap sunglasses for the same reason

 

[Hetman]

Why automatic? Good OH is more useful as a tool.

 

[steel 35]

Piranha Amazon and its gone off in my pants a few times but so Have I....

 

[otis66]

Automatic knives are not legal were I live. I can only carry an assisted opener. I can carry a sword down the street no problem but a auto opener....I'd be on the evening news. No auto/switch blades and no gravity knife.

 

[otis66]

I have a few Benchmades. A Mimi Barrage, Mini Griptilian, and a Griptilian.

 

[J HAV]

Not to go off topic buuuut, thought that the no owning or carrying of switch blades was a federal law. Unless you are military, police, FBI or ect

I thought the same also...

 

[otis66]

I live in NY and carry a Boker AK74 automatic.........Hopefully I don't ever get caught Benchmade are just too expensive for something I consider a consumable (I lose stuff) I also buy cheap sunglasses for the same reason

When I go to NYC I carry my Camilus Boy Scout knife or my Swiss Army knife. The law in NYC depends on the cop that stops you. If the cops in NYC see the knife they will take it. If they say the knife is not legal you are arrested and it big fine time.

 

[Hoss356]

I thought the same also...

Nope, state law, Oregon doesn't ban them either.

OP, I used to carry the same exact knife while I was active duty in Washington state. Unfortunately Washington does restrict them, but there is a clause that states you can carry one if you have only one arm, I still have both of mine though.

 

[woody 73]

Back in the day in jr. high all the boys carried a knife, times have changed.

Funny story I mailed my brother-in-law a rather large deadly looking knife but since he did not have a post box overseas I had to mail it to my other sister-in-law. Well when he looked at the knife he went ape **** (not what you guys are thinking); he told me that he just about died while taking it to his house on the subway it seems if the London police would have stopped him he would have spent a long time in their jails.

Good thing I never mailed him one of those good looking Bench made auto knives he might still be in a cell with some unwanted friends!

 

[BajaBound]

Portland Oregon is Knife Mecca for the U.S.

Kershaw and Benchmade are my choices but the Benchmade auto is awesome. Proud of my town and the products that come out if there!

 

[alan camby]

Nope, state law, Oregon doesn't ban them either.

OP, I used to carry the same exact knife while I was active duty in Washington state. Unfortunately Washington does restrict them, but there is a clause that states you can carry one if you have only one arm, I still have both of mine though.

What about if you don't have any arms. When i leave my gun at home I am unarmed

 

[dadsEH]

Thats not a knife!!

 

[genevabuck]

I own about 30 different Leatherman Tools. I love carrying them. Great versatility.

 

[powertrip]

wonder if that benchmade switch blade is legal in ohio

 

[Hetman]

Back in the day in jr. high all the boys carried a knife, times have changed.

Funny story I mailed my brother-in-law a rather large deadly looking knife but since he did not have a post box overseas I had to mail it to my other sister-in-law. Well when he looked at the knife he went ape **** (not what you guys are thinking); he told me that he just about died while taking it to his house on the subway it seems if the London police would have stopped him he would have spent a long time in their jails.

Good thing I never mailed him one of those good looking Bench made auto knives he might still be in a cell with some unwanted friends!

Yea, Britain is crazy: under 3" AND no OH AND no locking blade!

 

[Toymeister]

I carried the same Benchmade in Kandahar.

 

[malibu101]

Automatic knives are not legal were I live.
..................
.........

I fully understand keeping your privacy on the the internet.............
Did you ever think of putting the state where you live on the side where your post count and join date is?
It sure would help people understand this answer a little better.

 

[JoeyMitch]

One of the perks to living in Florida is being able to carry a switchblade wherever I go. So, I carry a Benchmade 9050 like this one:

Had one of these knives when I worked at the marina. Lost it when it got caught in the fishing cast and went 10ft into the bay...

 

[thruthefence]

Here's the Federal Law:

The Switchblade Knife Act, (Pub.L. 85-623, 72 Stat. 562, enacted on August 12, 1958, and codified in 15 U.S.C. §§ 1241–1245), prohibits the manufacture, importation, distribution, transportation, and sale of switchblade knives in commercial transactions substantially affecting interstate commerce[55] between any state, territory, possession of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and any place outside that state, territory, U.S. possession, or the District of Columbia. The Act also prohibits possession of such knives on federal or Indian lands or on lands subject to federal jurisdiction. It does not prohibit the ownership or carrying of automatic knives or switchblades inside a state while not on federal property, nor does it prohibit the acquisition or disposition of such knives in an intrastate transaction or an interstate transaction that is noncommercial and/or does not substantially affect interstate commerce (as defined by recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court).

If they're legal in your state, and you stay off federal property, apparently you're good to go.

 

[alan camby]

IMO the only thing switchblades have going for them is the Cool factor. If you want the most reliable knife, it is not a SB. To many moving parts to get sand, dirt, and pocket lint in. The safety is another thing that could fail.

If you want the fastest opening knife, it is not a SB, A Emerson waved knife can be opened before the knife leaves the pocket, and there is no safety to disengage while deploying.

More moving parts almost always means more weight. What is the lightest 3.5" bladed SB?

Never had a non-assist, Non SB fling open in my pocket. Hate to be out in the middle of nowhere, say deep in the woods, and my knife opens accidentally and cuts my hand or leg really bad, Or worse gets into my crotch.

I will admit SB's are cool and would love to have one to play with, but I think the biggest allure is that they are illegal in most areas of the US.

 

[wmartin]

I seem to remember that knife law is kind of a swamp. It goes down to the city level and it's quite easy to violate a fairly serious law merely by driving down the wrong street and owning a pocket knife or having a fixed blade knife in your glovebox.

LOL. Just imagine telling someone from 100 years ago about the rules we currently live under.

Out of curiosity, does Kershaw (or someone else) make a decent knife like the OP but without the pointy end? Double bonus points for being a bright color instead of black.

 

[rusty65]

I accidently brought a auto knife to a police station when I went with my little brother to his boy scouts tour of the police station thankfully they never found I had a knife.

 

[skyking]

I have Kershaw KO's. they flip out from the spur on the back .Great knife but they have opened on their own a couple of times in my pocket . I would like to carry a multi but cant get use to something on my belt.

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

illegal in my state and 3 inch blade limit.

I carry Spyderco delica4 ffg.

 

[malibu101]

^^^ Care to share what state you live in?

How do I know if they are legal in my state?
Stop and ask a cop?

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

you could do that, or https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclie..._pw.r_qf.&fp=bed1a85ad7b6ce0&biw=1366&bih=668

 

[malibu101]

you could do that, or https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclie..._pw.r_qf.&fp=bed1a85ad7b6ce0&biw=1366&bih=668

Thanks for the info!
By the read of some of those links I can not carry an automatic opening knife in my state.

 

[coldfusion21]

I dont, I carry a kershaw leek but I've been wanting a benchmade to replace it with. Een the auto's are somewhat slow compared to the assisted opening of the leek.

Also knife mecca ftw, we have benchmade and Kershaw and gerber and leatherman and CRKT all fairly close.

 

[byoungblood]

Back in the day in jr. high all the boys carried a knife, times have changed.

Technically, we weren't supposed to have them while I was in high school, but I went to a semi rural school so a vast majority of guys carried ordinary pocketknives anyway. Most of the teachers knew which of us had them, and it was quite common that one of them would occasionally ask one of us to cut something for them.

This was of course before all of the zero tolerance BS. Now I'd get kicked out of school, and if over 18 probably subject to criminal charges for even having one in a vehicle, much less one on your person.

I've carried a Kershaw Leek for the past 5-6 years, and I had a rent a cop playing security guard at Hoover Dam argue with me that it was a switchblade because of the little spur on the back side of it . So sometimes regardless of what the actual law is, it is up to the rather broad interpretations of those charged with enforcement.

 

[monster1]

Not to go off topic buuuut, thought that the no owning or carrying of switch blades was a federal law. Unless you are military, police, FBI or ect.

i Carry Spyderco's exclusively. Most of the time a Caly 3, 3.5, or Para 2.

It's a common misconception that Leo's and military can legally carry auto knives. But the uniform shops will sell them with proper credentials in my area. I have bought several but they stay at home. I carry a kershaw blur. It's faster than my other autos and 100% legal.

 

[M. Blue 240]

Portland Oregon is Knife Mecca for the U.S.

Kershaw and Benchmade are my choices but the Benchmade auto is awesome. Proud of my town and the products that come out if there!

Don't forget Leatherman, CRKT, and Gerber. I love shopping right at the source.

The majority of my knives are Kershaw. Their assisted opening system is great and just as fast as an auto. I've played with several autos and just haven't fallen in love with them. Even my big ZT 0301 is easy and smooth to open.

 

[Rust]

Knives are cool..till someone gets stabbed

 

[Robbie UK]

Yea, Britain is crazy: under 3" AND no OH AND no locking blade!

Well I don't think Britain is crazy and out knife laws reflect the rise in knife crime. Gun crime is still pretty unusual here too and police do not routinely carry guns either.

You can own and carry a folding 3" knife including locking blades.

You cannot buy, but can still own if bought before the law changed, switchblades, automatics or 'flick-knives', gravity knives, balisongs or 'butterfly knives', push daggers, belt buckle knives, sword canes, disguised knives, or knuckle-duster knives - but not for carry outside your own property.

If you have 'reasonable cause' you can also carry a larger folding or non-folding knife (eg if you are a fisherman a 6" filleting knife would be reasonable and nobody would question a hunter carrying a 4" fixed blade or a chef with a 9" monster).

The UK law does its best to separate the knife (an inanimate object) from criminal activity or a protected place. Knives do not kill people, only people with knives and for that reason you cannot carry any knife or any potential stabbing tool in an inappropriate place. Nobody needs a knife at a football match, school, bar, nightclub etc and the law would frown on you for carrying anything like a screwdriver, blade, knife, or any other potentially offensive weapon in such a place.

So no, I don't think our knife laws are crazy. A 12 year old boy can still carry a locking knife at scout camp whilst his drunk dad is prohibited from carrying that 12" Wera #2 pozidriv to the local football match.

No law is perfect, but at least this one tries to balance the 'need' for a knife from the potential crime scene without arbitrarily banning them.

 

[PeterT]

Are the Benchmades made in USA? Is this one the 9050 made in USA?,, I found a couple sites that list COO as CHINA

 

[M. Blue 240]

Are the Benchmades made in USA? Is this one the 9050 made in USA?,, I found a couple sites that list COO as CHINA

They're made in Oregon City, OR. I haven't looked too hard at Benchmade, but Kershaw ships their less expensive knives overseas. There is a big price difference between foreign made and USA made Kershaws, but not a huge difference in quality.

I played with an Auto Bedlam at the Harley dealer today (Benchmade teamed up with HD on some knives) that was really nice. it seemed like a cool toy, but for $265 there are other toys I want first.

 

[RobertMo1988]

I just bought a benchmade barrage 581SBK (oa) since anything nice is banned in california.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

IMO the only thing switchblades have going for them is the Cool factor. If you want the most reliable knife, it is not a SB. To many moving parts to get sand, dirt, and pocket lint in. The safety is another thing that could fail.

If you want the fastest opening knife, it is not a SB, A Emerson waved knife can be opened before the knife leaves the pocket, and there is no safety to disengage while deploying.

More moving parts almost always means more weight. What is the lightest 3.5" bladed SB?

Never had a non-assist, Non SB fling open in my pocket. Hate to be out in the middle of nowhere, say deep in the woods, and my knife opens accidentally and cuts my hand or leg really bad, Or worse gets into my crotch.

I will admit SB's are cool and would love to have one to play with, but I think the biggest allure is that they are illegal in most areas of the US.

I own a dozen or more well made pocket knives, including the one posted by the OP. The Benchmade is one of the best made of the bunch. It doesn't accidently come open. There is also a slide switch to lock it closed. The belt clip can be reattached 180°. Until you've actually used the Benchmade, you don't know what you are talking about.

This knife can also be taken completely apart for cleaning and maintenance. How many other knives can you do this with?